Alert archive / Oklahoma / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 311, NWS Tulsa, OK

August 17, 1997Pittsburg County, Oklahoma

NWS Tulsa, OK issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 17, 1997, 8:12 AM CDT for Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 17, 1997, 8:12 AM CDT (13:12 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 1997, 9:15 AM CDT
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Tulsa, OK
Area
Whole counties

County Pittsburg County, OK

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 17, 8:45 AM CDTHail 0.75Kiowa, OKA severe thunderstorm produced dime size hail 1 mile south of Kiowa.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Norman, OK (KOUN), launched 12:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 154 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 1997-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1963 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Norman, OK at 12:00Z on 1997-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 407 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1963 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-239 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1079 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
407 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
429 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KTUL 171311 RRA
SVRTUL
OKC121-171415-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
812 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  915 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
 
   ...SOUTHERN PITTSBURG COUNTY
 
AT 810 AM RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF ASHLAND
MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. ASHLAND AND KIOWA ARE IN THE PATH OF
THIS STORM.
 
HAIL TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
IN THE WARNED AREA.
 
DURING THE STORM MOVE INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM LIGHTNING DO NOT USE THE TELEPHONE
OR HAND HELD ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES...UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY.
MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR WATER ON ROADWAYS AND NEVER
DRIVE ONTO A FLOODED ROAD.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 17, 4:32 AM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 4:32 AM CDT, 3 hours 40 minutes before
EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
415 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 1997

TSTMS FROM KS WILL MOVE ACROSS ERN PTNS OF FCST AREA DURING THE EARLY
MORNING AND WILL BASE POPS ON THAT...WITH WORDING THAT PCPN WILL BE
MAINLY EARLY IN THE DAY.  XPC RAIN AND RESIDUAL CLOUDS WILL HOLD
TEMPS BELOW THE MOS BY A FEW DEGS AND WILL MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT.
ALSO APPEARS THAT ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL KEEP CLDS AND SOME RW/TRW
DVLPG OVR THE COOL DOME OF AIR FROM THE CURRENT MCS.  THIS MAY ALSO
KEEP TEMPS A LITTLE COOLER TDA.

THE SHRTWV ALF THAT HELPED DVLP THE MCS WILL MOVE ON EWD AND SHD
ALLOW AMS TO BECOME MORE STABLE AND CONDITIONS TO DRY OUT BY MON AND
MONDAY NIGHT.  H8 FLOW DCRS LATER TODAY SO CONVERGENCE SHD WEAKEN...
REDUCING ANY POS VV.  HOWEVER...WITH BNDRY IN THE AREA THRU
MON...WILL KEEP AT LEAST A SLGT CHC IN THE FCST.  TIME TO GET BACK TO
THE RADAR AND MONITOR FOR MORE WARNINGS...

FCSTID = 2
TUL   87  71  91  73 /  50  40  20  10
FSM   86  71  92  71 /  60  40  30  10
MLC   91  73  94  73 /  40  30  20  10
BVO   87  69  90  72 /  60  30  20  10
FYV   83  70  89  70 /  80  50  30  10
IDB   93  72  93  73 /  30  30  20  10
BYV   82  68  89  69 /  80  50  30  10
MIO   82  69  88  70 /  70  40  20  10
MKO   89  72  91  73 /  40  30  20  10
F10   86  71  92  73 /  60  40  20  10

.TUL...
OK...NONE.
AR...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 17, 6:10 AM CDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-171200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
610 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 1997

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
AND WESTERN ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON.

A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVED INTO NORTHERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWESTERN
ARKANSAS THIS MORNING...BRINGING STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG WITH IT.  WHILE THESE STORMS HAVE WEAKENED...THIS FRONT WILL
STALL OVER THE AREA TODAY...GENERALLY ALONG INTERSTATE 40...AND
SHOULD SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
AFTERNOON.

ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF THE FRONT...HIGH TEMPERATURES AND
ABUNDANT MOISTURE WILL COMBINE TO YIELD A MODERATELY UNSTABLE
ATMOSPHERE.  MAXIMUM LIFTED INDICES WILL RANGE FROM -6 AND -8 BY
LATE AFTERNOON.  THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE...WHILE HAVING WEAKER
LOW-LEVEL WINDS THAN PREVIOUS DAYS...WILL STILL BE CONDUCIVE TO
SUPPORTING ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

FACTORS LIMITING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM FORMATION WILL BE THE CAP OF
WARM AIR ALOFT AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE FINAL LOCATION OF THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY.  THE CAP WILL BE STRONG THROUGHOUT THE DAY...BUT
TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO BREAK THE CAP.
THERE IS STILL SOME QUESTION AS TO THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THE
FRONT.  IF IT MOVES FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST THAN FORECAST...THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL ALSO BE FARTHER SOUTHEAST.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN
ARKANSAS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON.

AN UPDATED THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 1 PM TODAY.
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 6:13 AM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
ARZ001-002-010-011-019-029-OKZ054>076-171200-

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
610 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 1997

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
AND WESTERN ARKANSAS THIS AFTERNOON.

A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVED INTO NORTHERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWESTERN
ARKANSAS THIS MORNING...BRINGING STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG WITH IT.  WHILE THESE STORMS HAVE WEAKENED...THIS FRONT WILL
STALL OVER THE AREA TODAY...GENERALLY ALONG INTERSTATE 40...AND
SHOULD SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
AFTERNOON.

ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF THE FRONT...HIGH TEMPERATURES AND
ABUNDANT MOISTURE WILL COMBINE TO YIELD A MODERATELY UNSTABLE
ATMOSPHERE.  MAXIMUM LIFTED INDICES WILL RANGE FROM -6 AND -8 BY
LATE AFTERNOON.  THE VERTICAL WIND PROFILE...WHILE HAVING WEAKER
LOW-LEVEL WINDS THAN PREVIOUS DAYS...WILL STILL BE CONDUCIVE TO
SUPPORTING ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

FACTORS LIMITING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM FORMATION WILL BE THE CAP OF
WARM AIR ALOFT AND THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE FINAL LOCATION OF THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY.  THE CAP WILL BE STRONG THROUGHOUT THE DAY...BUT
TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO BREAK THE CAP.
THERE IS STILL SOME QUESTION AS TO THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THE
FRONT.  IF IT MOVES FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST THAN FORECAST...THE
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL ALSO BE FARTHER SOUTHEAST.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS IN SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN
ARKANSAS SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE
PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON.

AN UPDATED THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 1 PM TODAY.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tulsa, OK issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 3:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Tulsa58 min
Aug 17, 3:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSANowata, Washington49 min
Aug 17, 4:06 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSARogers, Wagoner69 min
Aug 17, 5:13 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningTSARogers3 hr
Aug 17, 7:25 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTSAMuskogee50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Oklahoma, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.